Retinal detachment is a disorder of the eyeball in which the retina separates from the retinal pigment epithelium, and, without treatment thereof, may cause vision loss. In particular, recently, with an increase in diabetes mellitus, diabetic retinopathy, which occurs in conjunction with diabetes mellitus, has been increasing. Diabetic retinopathy is the number one reason for blindness in Japan, and causes blindness to about three thousand or more persons per year. With respect to such retinal detachment, various treatment methods have been proposed.
For example, a method for treating retinal detachment by inserting a balloon into the eye and injecting a gas into the balloon to return the retina to its normal site is discussed in Japanese Patent Application No. JP-A-10-179629, which is incorporated by reference herein for all that it teaches and for all purposes, set forth below. According to this method, retinal detachment can be treated by keeping the balloon inflated for a predetermined period of time until the retina is tightly fixed to the retinal pigment epithelium.